Andretti Autosport Interested In Montoya

Now that Juan Pablo Montoya is out at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti is trying to secure sponsorship to bring Montoya back to open-wheeled racing.

Andretti said:

I have talked to Juan about IndyCar and told him ‘Hell yeah, let’s find a way to put something together.’ I’ve driven against him and I think he’s one of the best drivers I’ve ever driven against. It just comes down to sponsorship. So we’re looking, and if it’s a possibility, we want to do something with him.

Montoya would not comment on which teams he has spoken with, but he left open the possibility of driving in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Andretti Autosport currently fields cars in IndyCar for Ryan Hunter-Reay, EJ Viso, Marco Andretti, and James Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe replaced Danica Patrick when she left the team to pursue a career in NASCAR.

Andretti is a competitive team in IndyCar with Hunter-Reay winning eight times in an Andretti car, and one championship. Hinchcliffe has three victories and Marco Andretti has two.

Montoya has 22 open-wheeled victories, including winning the prestigious Indy 500 in 2000. So, it only seems logical for Andretti to pursue Montoya.

There have also been rumors that Andretti has been looking into moving to NASCAR. Last year, it was rumored that Andretti purchased Penske Racing’s engine department so he could field a Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013. Obviously that rumor was false, as Dodge bowed out of NASCAR shortly after.

Matt Kenseth and later Kurt Busch have been linked to Andretti. But, nothing ever materialized.

If Andretti were seriously planning a move to NASCAR, Montoya is not a bad way to go. If an Andretti NASCAR deal fell through, Montoya can still compete for the team in IndyCar.

About the Author

Michael J Smith Michael J. Smith is a NASCAR enthusiast and blogger. In addition to founding this website, Michael is a journalist with over a decade of experience writing for prestigious media organizations.